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Chennai sanitary workers suspend protest over wage and job

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2026-09-05 02:43 UTC → 2026-09-10 06:05 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Chennai sanitary workers suspend protest ~~after governmental~~ over wage and job

Sanitary workers in Chennai, represented by the Uzhaippor Urimai Iyakkam (UUI), have engaged in prolonged protests at the Ripon Building to demand labor reforms and job regularization. By the sixth day of demonstrations, the Tamil Nadu government, through School Education Minister A Rajmohan, agreed to consider several specific demands. These included increasing the daily wage from Rs 751 to Rs 832, providing maternity leave for a third child, offering menstrual leave for certain workers, and reinstating 13 workers. However, protesters continued their demonstrations because core demands regarding job permanency, weekly holidays, and quality housing remained unaddressed. By the eighth day, more than 250 cleanliness workers continued their protest. While the Greater Chennai Corporation reportedly assured workers that the 13 remaining individuals would be reinstated, demonstrators continued to seek a meeting with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to address their 11-point charter and long-standing grievances regarding working conditions and the outsourcing of garbage collection. Following 16 days of demonstrations, workers agreed to suspend their protest at the Ripon Building premises until October 3 after negotiations with state ministers, including N Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, A Rajmohan, and CTR Nirmal Kumar. The government committed to several demands, such as a daily food allowance of Rs 50 starting in October, providing toilets and rest areas in all 200 wards by September 30, and withdrawing legal cases against workers and union leaders. Other promises included 300 new battery-operated vehicles, raincoats by October 10, and compensation for nine workers who died on duty between May and August. Minister Bussy Anand noted that the state’s current financial condition has limited the ability to meet all demands immediately, and a second round of talks is scheduled for early October.

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